I have interviewed in person with Google several times over the years, most recently in November 2012. I have never received an offer.

While I will honor my agreement with Google not to reveal specific interview questions, they tend to be generic computer science-type questions. As someone at mid-career, it is disappointing to be asked questions that might be more appropriate for an intern applying for their first summer job. I felt I had a lot to contribute, but the interview process doesn't focus on anything beyond basic coding questions.

Google contacted me by phone for a conversation with a recruiter. The technical phone screen step was waived, and I was invited in for an in-person interview a few weeks later. This consisted of five technical interviews plus lunch.

I felt I did well on the technical questions, but the whole atmosphere of the process seemed a bit negative. When I interview, I like it to be with people who are clearly inspired by and excited to work for their company. I just didn't get that sense from these people; they had no passion for working for Google. The person who took me to lunch actually made clear to me that he was very unhappy working for Google.

A positive interview experience is one where I come away inspired to work for the company. If I don't get the job, it is a disappointment because I won't be working there. With Google, the disappointment is more that I feel I wasted a day of my time. I ended up thinking that I would use a Google offer, had it been forthcoming, more for leverage in negotiating a slightly sweeter deal with my current employer, where I'm actually mostly happy.

When I was thinking in those terms even before hearing Google's negative decision, it seems clear that Google failed in motivating me to want to work for them.

Upon reflection, my basic takeaway was that I didn't really interview for a position at Google. Instead, they conducted a very generic tech interview which could just as easily have been an interview for any other tech company, be it another large company or a startup. Absolutely zero information was revealed that would allow me to determine whether this might have been a suitable match for me. Google seems to be counting on its name and reputation to attract good candidates and feels it doesn't have to put much into the process itself.

It's hard to feel excited about working for a company when its interview process is just a generic imitation of the interview processes at many other tech companies I've interviewed with in my career.

Speaking only for myself, Google's name and reputation will probably always be enough to get me to invest a big chunk of a day for an interview. But Google seems to expect more than that; it expects a significant investment of time in preparing for the interview as well.

I'll admit I probably didn't prepare as hard as I might have for this interview, and that may have been a factor in the outcome. However, as an experienced professional with limited time, I need a reason to believe that the investment of time in preparation is worthwhile. Google, unfortunately, gave me no reason to be enthusiastic about the process so that I would put the time in. Again, at least in my case, it will take more than just relying on its good name to get me excited about working for them.

Cannot disclose due to NDA signed.